Porn Measure

April 4, 1985

OTTAWA — The target: ''Immoral and indecent'' material sent into Canada. A bill offered by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's government that would once again permit customs officers to confiscate any matter they consider pornographic or hate literature easily passed the House of Commons and is expected to become law this week. The Federal Court of Canada last month struck down the 117- year-old section of the Customs Tariff Act allowing such seizures. Why: The statute's language was too vague to be upheld as a reasonable limit on the constitutional right to freedom of expression. Barbara McDougall, minister of state for finance who offered the substitute bill in the Commons, said the measure is not perfect but it will stop people from taking advantage of the court ruling.